Broach, Elise. Shakespeare’s Secret. 2005. Henry Hold and Company, 250 pages. $16.95 ISBN: 0805073876
Plot Summary:
Being the new kid in school is nothing new to Hero Netherfield and neither is being teased for her unusual name. Hero’s dad is a Shakespeare scholar and named both Hero and her older sister Beatrice for characters in the play Much Ado About Nothing. Though Hero has trouble making friends at school she does make friends with their elderly neighbor Mrs. Roth, who explains the history the Netherfield’s new home. Mrs. Roth tells Hero how the last owners Mr. and Mrs. Murphy had an antique jeweled necklace that had been in Mrs. Murphy’s family for centuries. The necklace was incredibly valuable especially the large diamond pendant. The Murphy’s were unable to afford to insure the whole necklace, but they did insure the diamond. A few months later shortly after Mrs. Murphy had fallen ill the diamond was stolen from the Murphy’s home. The strange thing was the thief only took the diamond from its setting and left the bejeweled necklace behind. Hero with her new friend Danny, who happens to be the sheriff’s son, searches all over the Netherfield’s house in search of the missing diamond, convinced that Mr. Murphy staged the theft to obtain insurance money to help pay for treatment for Mrs. Murphy. Hero, Danny, and Mrs. Roth discover a bigger mystery than they anticipated when clues link the necklace to the Tudor family and the perhaps the real identity of William Shakespeare.
Critical Review:
Shakespeare’s Secret is an intriguing mystery that begins with a jewel theft and ends with a potential explanation of who is responsible for Shakespeare’s plays. Steeped in history, Broaches story is a page turner where than more than one identity will be revealed!
Genre:
Mystery
Interest/Reading Level:
5th to 8th grades
Similar Books:
The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Awards:
Edgar Allen Poe Award Juvenile Nominee 2006
ALA Notable Children’s Book 2006
Author’s Website:
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